SAN JOSE – Recent incidents involving a former code enforcement inspector and a police officer have spurred the city of San Jose to introduce a new policy that will immediately place employees accused of crimes on administrative leave until an initial investigation is done.
The San Jose Police Department announced the policy Friday afternoon. It applies to employees credibly accused of crimes such as sexual misconduct, assault and bribery.
“These revisions reflect our deep commitment to doing everything possible to prevent similar incidents in the future,” Police Chief Anthony Mata said in a statement.
“In every case, immediate action and collaboration with the City Manager’s Office will ensure that decisions to remove an officer or city employee from contact with the public are made at the highest levels and with the greatest urgency,” he continued. “Protecting the public is paramount; that is what this policy intends to do.”
The new policy comes just days after Mayor Sam Liccardo called for a probe into police handling of employees accused of sexual misconduct.
Former code inspector William Gerry was sentenced last week to 35 years in prison for abusing his power in order to extort sex and solicit bribes from massage business owners and police Officer Matthew Dominguez is being prosecuted on allegations he masturbated in front of a family while responding to a call last month.
Gerry, 47, and Dominguez, 32, were on the police department’s radar for more than a year before they were arrested but were allowed to continue working in their public-facing roles.
The new policy applies to all city employees and is intended to protect the “safety and financial health of our community,” City Manager Jennifer Maguire said in a statement.
“This preventive measure will help us ensure that potential crime against our community by the very people whom they trust to keep them safe will not occur again and are swiftly acted on,” Maguire said.
“The policy,” she added, “provides safeguards so the public will have confidence in how we handle these situations when criminal or administrative investigations are underway.”
Following the preliminary review of an allegation, the city manager will decide whether to keep the employee on administrative leave or reassign them to other non-public-facing duties, if applicable, until the criminal or administrative probe is completed, Officer Steven Aponte said in a news release announcing the new policy.
Aponte said allegations not covered by the policy will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
In a statement, Liccardo said he appreciated the “swift action” by Mata and Maguire “to ensure we do not subject members of our community to any foreseeable risk of harm while investigating future allegations of criminal misconduct by city employees.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com